


Bucky Barnes Guide to Getting Kicked Out of a Haunted House

by hopelessly_me



Series: Spoopy season 2020 [2]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Actors in Costumes, Bucky Barnes hates clowns, Bucy doesn't scare easily, Clint and Kate love Halloween, M/M, bad timing for new memories to pop up, haunted attraction, tough guy Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26892661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Clint and Kate, every year, get together during the entire month of October to participate in “Spooky season activities.” This year, Bucky was asked to join them. And while nothing really scares Bucky, he learns the hard way that something does.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Series: Spoopy season 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959886
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45





	Bucky Barnes Guide to Getting Kicked Out of a Haunted House

It was a universal truth that Bucky Barnes had an incredibly hard time telling Clint Barton no. Every dumb idea Clint threw his way, Bucky agreed. Try out that pizza arrow? Sure. Go bungee jumping? There are worse things in the world. Make fun of Doctor Doom’s cloak while kidnapped and tied up together? Probably not the smartest of ideas in the world. Agreeing to dating Clint? Up there on the big, dumb list of things Bucky did with Clint because Clint would give him  _ that _ smile. And if you have never seen  _ that _ smile, you wouldn’t understand it, but Bucky sure as hell did. And he didn’t regret a single moment of the last one.

Which explained why he was currently standing in a long line, surrounded by mainly high schoolers, drinking his coffee as if he wasn’t old enough to be everyone’s great-great grandfather. All it took was for Clint to lean over the couch, eyes wide and pleading.  _ Will you go to a haunted house with Katie-kate and I? _ The damn puppy dog eyes that Steve threw his way, that Lucky threw his way, and Bucky was a goner. So he had said sure and Clint’s face lit up like he was just given the best gift of his life and  _ that _ smile came out. Bucky melted on the spot.

Clint and Kate were busy arguing about the redesign Tony wanted to do to their quivers, argued about finding a way to make the arrowheads spin on and attach in the heat of the moment. Kate described it as  _ badass _ . Clint described it as  _ a horrible mistake waiting to happen _ . Bucky agreed with Clint silently, not daring to weigh into the discussion. Anyway, it was better this way. He got to appreciate their smiles, their scowling faces. He got to watch Clint bury his nose into his scarf, and Kate play with the frays of her own.

“How are you doing?”

Kate screeched and Clint gasped, jumping. “Awww, coffee, no…” he pouted while Kate laughed.

Bucky just stood there and stared at the guy dressed up like a demented scarecrow. The man leaned in, his smile wide, eyes peeled wide open, and Bucky just raised an eyebrow until he left. Clint and Kate were laughing at themselves, Clint brushing coffee off his glove.

Bucky had a love-hate relationship with Halloween. He had a sweet-tooth to boot, so he liked the excuse to eat an ungodly amount of candy. He liked scary movie night selfishly because Clint would cling to his side, shoving fistfuls of popcorn into both of their mouths. The small jumps, the way his heart raced, and the gasps- Bucky was absolutely in love with Clint. But horror movies? The thought of ghosts and the afterlife? None of that scared him. Bucky had seen and experienced much, much worse than anything movies or haunted attractions could possibly provide. How Clint and Kate could experience this, still full of love and life over the holiday, Bucky would never understand. But they loved it, soaking it in every chance they got. It was the one time of the year Kate was very much present at the Tower, or Clint in California, as the two bonded over their love for everything Halloween.

“Oh come on! Not even a flinch,” Clint said, nudging at Bucky.

Bucky rolled his eyes and kissed Clint’s cheek. “He was standing right there just waintin’ to get ya,” Bucky argued. “Anyway- since when did things jumping out at us scare us?”

“It's like he is always in mission mode. Does he have an off button?” Kate asked, her voice verging on sarcasm while she teased Bucky.

“Hmm- I press a  _ lot _ of his buttons. I haven’t found the right one yet,” Clint mused. One hand holding his coffee while the other held onto Bucky’s jacket. “Babe, this is supposed to be fun. Let loose. Let yourself be scared.”

“I just don’t find this scary,” Bucky answered with a shrug. Clint pouted before Bucky kissed it away, Kate gagging in the background. Clint  _ and _ Bucky flipped her off that time.

“Okay, so, before we make underage kids scream in terror at geriatric love, can we maybe take a few selfies?” Kate asked. “America is still mad at me and I want to rub it in her stupid face that I am here.”

“What a mature girlfriend you are,” Clint cooed.

“Screw being mature, I want to make her see that I am having a great time without her,” Kate said, digging her phone out of her jacket.

“You know, you could always try saying I’m sorry and maybe then America won’t be mad at you,” Bucky suggested.

Kate stared at Clint and Bucky. “Okay, first of all, I have nothing to apologize for. Second of all, she is the one ignoring  _ my _ texts. So I am posting this on my Insta so she can see it. I might even ask Gwen for a favor and have her bounce around, showing off the photos.”

“Kate Bishop’s Guide on How to Lose a Girlfriend in Ten Days,” Clint laughed. Kate glared. “Katie-kate. Sister from another mister-”

“Ew, so old,” Kate groaned.

“Take it from us. You are only going to make America mad. Anyway, half apologize. Make her  _ think  _ you are sorry when really it’s helping put some of the blame on her.”

Bucky stared at Clint eyebrows furrowed. Then he thought about it and shrugged. “Yeah, alright, checks out. Passive aggressive and sweet all at once. Can’t really not accept it without making it sound like you are being petty. But now I know your game, Barton.”

“Just passing along wisdom to the youn- gah!” Clint shouted, downright dropping his coffee this time as he clung to Bucky. Kate screamed, nearly dropping her phone when the bloodied butcher screamed at them. Bucky sighed and held onto Clint, who was practically climbing him, his legs just moments away from wrapping around Bucky.

“Would you like to come meet my little piggies?” the man asked.

“Nope. Nuh-uh, sounds like a trap,” Clint rambled off.

“What about  _ you _ , little girl?” the butcher asked, turning to Kate, holding his fake blade up menacingly.

“Uh- vegetarian?” Kate asked.

“And you?” The man was inches from Bucky’s face. Bucky raised an eyebrow, holding the man’s gaze before he walked away.

“I am pretty sure these people love making kids cry…. And Bucky is here… trying to make the actors cry,” Kate commented.

“You two realize we are still in line, right?” Bucky asked. “And you have jumped twice already. If someone pees their pants, they are walking home. I’m not taking the subway with a superhero who has peed themselves at an attraction made for children.”

“Rude,” Clint and Kate said at the same time.

It was another half hour before they were at the front of the line. Another half hour of them talking about trick arrows, and landsharks, and that one time America accidentally dropped everyone off in a world filled to the brim with zombies, which Kate had no problems sharing how much she hated that world. There was only one more jump scare in that time period.

The main attraction was looming ahead. If Bucky were being honest, there was a time where just the sight of this building might have given him the heebie jeebies. Bucky wasn’t a fan of houses that looked like the roof could cave in, with paint being scratched off. It brought back a memory from nearly ninety years ago, when he was a teenager and looking for a thrill, one of the few times he made it away from Steve long enough because there was no way Steve back in the day could have survived the sheer amount of dust in that worn down building. Bucky could remember being like Kate and Clint, eager to get scared, all smiles and laughs.

Now, this was just a house filled with people wanting to scare him. He could hear other patrons screaming inside. He could see Clint and Kate’s eyes light up knowing they were the next group in. It wasn’t anything scary, but it was sure as hell fun.

“You may enter now- the guests are expected to arrive into the formal dining room,” the attendant said in a bored, mono-tone voice. Bucky could sympathize- it was probably boring to stand there, dressed like an old, dead butler and say the same phrase thousands of times in one night.

“Want to hold our hands?” Kate asked Bucky.

“No.”

“Spoil sport,” Clint teased. 

Clint firmly grabbed a hold of Kate, the two pressed as close to shoulder to shoulder as they could, and they ventured forward. It was hilarious in a way, watching the two creep together, waiting in anticipation for the first scare. Bucky could imagine they were like this every year which only made him smile, ducking his head and looking at the ground. Maybe he could get some enjoyment out of this haunted house, even if it wasn’t what the owners of the attraction had intended.

The first jump scare was just inside the main door. Something dropped down from the ceiling and Kate jumped about a mile, screaming. Clint was laughing, pulling her closer to him and Bucky was fairly certain Clint was using Kate as a human shield of sorts. That is when they met the “undead butler” who pointed them on their way, warning them that the seance had already started.

There was banging on walls, actors and actresses screaming, some rushing by, some on the ground, some jumping out. It was a lot of Clint or Kate twisting their bodies, hugging the other person, jumping, and laughing at their own scardiness. All the while, Bucky just followed through and watched, smiling. The only one that somewhat had Bucky unnerved was the person dressed up like a doll, ringlets of curls coming down with a dusty, dirty looking ribbon and matching white dress. Just the way that actress walked had Bucky a little on edge.

“Time to exit the demon house and go to the- whatever the hell is next,” Clint said, pushing open the door. “Was it the lab? Was the lab next?”

Bucky walked out, not really knowing, or caring, what was next; he was assaulted by flashing lights and loud booms that rattled something deep in him. He held a hand up, trying to block some of the light that thankfully died down, but it only made his stomach drop out. Netting, old netting, was around old cars. Car he could barely remember when he was younger. Mounds of dirt, scrap metal skewed about.

“You need to head north, keep pushing forward,” an actor said, wearing obviously fake military uniforms. The man’s face was splattered with a mixture of dirt and blood as he got into all of their faces.

It was a weird place, where Bucky’s head went. He wasn’t scared, nor was he really feeling like he was in the throes of a PTSD moment. He felt dazed, something about the whole set up eerily familiar. He couldn’t remember much of his early military days, the days he was out on the battlefield, but this was almost triggering a memory. He felt light while being grounded in his spot. The actor must have known something was different because his eyebrows pulled down, his face flooded with concern.

“Hey, hey Buck. You alright?” Clint asked, a hand tentatively placed on Bucky’s chest. Even Kate looked concerned and Bucky started to wonder just how long he had been frozen in his spot before they realized it.

“I’m fine. Just… it was… I’m alright,” Bucky said. It wasn’t a lie. He was  _ fine _ . His heart was steady even, beating at a non-stressed pace. His head wasn’t jumbled up, and he didn’t feel like panicking. “Come on,” he added, grinning and hitting Clint’s shoulder. “Lived through this shit once. This can’t be nearly as bad.”

Clint didn’t look so positive and neither did the actor. “We can exit you out if you want,” the actor offered, trying to be of help.

“I really am fine, but thank you though,” Bucky said. He reached up and grabbed Clint’s hand, removing it from his chest. “Just a random memory. That’s all. Anyway, that outfit is terrible.”

The actor almost looked offended but Clint laughed. Kate didn’t look too convinced. “Well, since I lost my walking buddy, you both are going first.”

The weird, tilted feeling didn’t leave Bucky as they made it through the maze of netting and fencing, dead soldiers shouting at them, sneaking up behind them. Clint was holding on tighter than before with every new scare and Bucky tried his best to smile, to roll his eyes, but he just felt  _ off _ . Something about that first actor was familiar- he even looked familiar. Bucky was going to have to do some digging, figure out where he had touched down first, which battles he was in and maybe he could connect some dots. Bucky couldn’t help but to think that whatever he dug up wouldn’t have a happy ended, even though he hoped it would.

The loud blast of a Jeep startled Bucky and his eyes scanned the Jeep with no person in it. And that’s when he could hear the faint music that sounded oddly familiar. Something loud, bright, demanding attention. Lights hitting a tent and-

“A fucking circus,” Clint groaned. Kate was doubled over, she was laughing so hard. “I’m going to have to nope myself out. I  _ hate _ circuses.”

“Oh come on,  _ Amazing Hawkeye _ ,” Kate openly mocked. “You should feel at home. I bet you might even want to join again.”

“That is definitely part of the problem,” Clint grumbled. “I see one guy in purple spandex with sequences shooting arrows and I am out.”

The Jeep went off behind them again and Bucky turned, looking past Kate. Kate smiled then jumped. Something, no, someone, brushed against Bucky. “Are you lost, little boy?” Bucky heard as he turned, seeing a white face, bright blue smears under two eyes that were red and he-

_ A loud car rumbled to life before the horn went off and Bucky startled, stumbling backwards, back into the crowd and becoming disoriented. Soon enough, he was looking up, a sea of adults around him, all with children, but he couldn’t spot his mother or father, or Becca for that matter. Bucky got knocked around through the crowd, walking towards the side just to get out of the crowds. _

_ “Mama! Papa!” Bucky called out helplessly.  _

_ Bucky’s eyes frantically scanned the area and his shoulders were pulling up. But more people were coming, the crowd to get inside the big tent was only growing. Bucky crept to the side and climbed under the tent and crawled out the other side. His legs were shaking, knees were knocking. _

_ “Are you lost, little boy?” Bucky stared up at the looming figure, the wide, menacing grin, face whited out and that hair. He did the only thing he could think of. _

“Ow! What the fuck?” the man dressed like a clown shouted.

“Shit! Bucky!” Clint shouted.

“Oh my God,” Kate gasped.

And then it clicked. “Shit. I am so sorry,” Bucky said, watching the actor rub his face where Bucky must have hit him. “I didn’t mean to- I-”

One of the soldiers from outside peeked his head in to check on the commotion. “Get them out of here,” the clown said, waving an arm angry as he rubbed his sore face.

“Yeah, no, of course,” Clint said, trying to calm the situation down. “Kate, you wanna, I dunno. Get details from this guy? Medical and all that just in case? Contact card.” Clint was talking as he pulled on Bucky, pulling them out from the way they came, closer to the soldier.

“Yeah, I’ve got it,” Kate said, waving them off.

Bucky was in a stunned sort of silence, following Clint and the actor. There was an exit point in the battlefield area, the actor walking them through it. Everything was still so loud, overwhelming even. As soon as they were in the outside space, Bucky let go of Clint and took a few steps away.

“I’m sorry but I need to call the manager over,” the actor said. The way he said it, a little on the nervous side, didn’t make Bucky feel any better.

“Yeah, alright,” Clint said. It took a moment before Bucky saw sneakers instead of grass and Bucky looked up. “Are you alright? I didn’t know that there was a battlefield here- never was before. I would have-”

“That… wasn’t it,” Bucky said, his voice a little rough. Clint was frowning then shook his head, signing he didn’t hear a lick of it. Bucky took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, trying to get himself to calm down. “That wasn’t it,” he said again so he knew Clint could hear it. “It was a bad time for a memory to come out and it was-”

Kate poked her head out. “Hey, clown actor is asking if he can come out without Bucky trying to hit him into next weekend.”

“Kate!” Clint scolded.

“No, it’s okay. He’s fine,” Bucky said, rubbing his face. “I’m alright. He’s… wait, he’s alright, right?” Bucky asked. Kate walked through first, followed by the actor, the hat and wig in his hands. Bucky could see now the smudge mark from where he had accidentally hit the guy. “I am so sorry. That was completely unintentional.”

“I’m just happy it wasn’t with your other hand,” the actor said, and when he got closer his face looked like it was already puffing up. “... so this is going to sound weird but… can I get a picture with you?”

Clint let out a huff of air, somewhere between amusement and shock and Kate shrugged. Bucky looked at the man for a moment like he had grown two heads before he nodded. “Sure. Can they-” he began to ask, looking between both Hawkeyes.

“Yeah, of course!” the actor said, fumbling in his clown pants to grab his phone turning it on. “Can I say I got hit by the Winter Soldier?”

“Uh-” Clint said, clearly not a fan of the idea.

“You know what? Sure,” Bucky said, taking the man’s phone and holding it out to Clint. “Its really the least I can do for clockin’ you. Apparently I’m not a fan of clowns.”

“Can I add  _ that _ ?”

“Only after you ice your face,” Bucky answered. “Come on.”

Clint took a few photos, just to make sure they had a good one. Bucky tentatively put an arm around the guy’s shoulders, still feeling a little off center from the last five or so minutes. When they were done, the actor went towards the back of the attraction where everything was marked off from the guests just as the soldier actor and a tall man came walking over.

“I am so sorry for taking your one actor out of commission for the rest of tonight,” Bucky apologized.

“I have given him our contact information in case he needs to go to the hospital, all expenses will be paid,” Kate said. “We are really sorry about this.”

“Unfortunately, I am going to have to ask you three to leave,” the manager said. “We have a no hitting policy and with that comes a permanent ban.”

“I understand,” Bucky said calmly. “Again, I am really sorry about this. We’ll see ourselves out, no problem.”

The crew was quiet as they left the haunted attraction, Clint and Kate taking either side of Bucky. No amount of jump scares phased him though as the line actors outside of the attraction tried to scare the patrons around them. They were soon out of the area, passing by excited groups of people heading inside.

“So… you alright?” Kate asked. “The war thing kinda get to you?”

“No. I learned something new today,” Bucky answered with a groan. “I hate fuckin’ clowns.”


End file.
